Wednesday August 13, 2014 HERALD WAITAKI COLOURFUL TREND Page 18 Forget Hundreds of people gathered at the World War I memorial on lower Thames St last Tuesday to mark 100 years since the declaration of the Great War. See story page 3. Photo: Nicola Wolfe/Fairfax NZ facility. The Oamaru Hearing Centre Court facility opens to little fanfare A By DANIEL BIRCHFIELD daniel.birchfield@waitakiherald.co.nz cceptance rather than euphoria is the feeling about Oamaru’s new court was officially opened by Courts Minister Chester Borrows on Thursday, close to two years after the closure of Oamaru’s historic Thames St courthouse due to earthquake risks. The Category 1-listed building has been transferred to Land Information New Zealand, which is currently considering its disposal in line with the requirements of the Public Works Act and the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act. Since late 2012, court hearings have been held at the Oamaru Opera House. The construction of the tempor- ary hearing centre, which was used in Christchurch after the February 2011 earthquake, has caused controversy in the Oamaru community with many believing the government should spend the $1 million to $2m required to strengthen the original courthouse. The look of the building has also been criticised on social media, with many agreeing it doesn’t reflect Oamaru in a positive light. Among those not impressed with the prefabricated building is Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean. ‘‘I’d be lying if I said I was happy with this facility. It wouldn’t be true to say I was CONTINUED Page 6 Opening day: Courts Minister Chester Borrows speaks at the opening of the Oamaru Hearing Centre last week. Lest We